416 - Human Medicine

Human Medicine
By James B. Nelson and Jo Anne Smith Rohricht
Minneapolis, Augsburg, 1984. 224 pp. $10.95.

In this volume, Nelson (professor of Christian ethics, United Theological Seminary) and Smith Rohricht (M.A., United Theological Seminary) discuss a range of important issues in bio-medical ethics, including abortion, human experimentation, reproductive technologies, genetics, death and dying, organ transplantation, and health care systems. Important historical, legal, social, and economic factors complicating the ethical debates are examined and the impacts of recent technological developments are con-

417 - Human Medicine

sidered. The author's appeal for "human" medicine is based on a holistic definition of health and a sense of humanness that, while admittedly ambiguous in its fullest sense, is associated with certain "normative qualities which provide a basic framework for decision-making. While the book advocates an ethical perspective that is based on responsibility to what is perceived through faith to be God's intention for humanity, it also presents deontological and teleological perspectives. This well-written book will inform a wide audience.

Joyce E. Miller
Indiana University
Bloomington. Ind.